“South Africa’s move to lodge a complaint against the Zionist regime for its crimes is a historic, indelible and commendable measure,” President Ebrahim Raisi said after receiving the credentials of South Africa’s new ambassador to Tehran Francis Molloy.
The president also expressed Iran’s support for South Africa’s “smart and wise” action against Israel.
Lauding the close and growing ties between Iran and South Africa, Raisi said there is no obstacle to the expansion of relations.
In its application submitted on December 29, Pretoria accused Israel of committing genocide in contravention of the 1948 UN Genocide Convention, which both South Africa and Israel are party to.
The ICJ held two days of public hearings in the genocide case against Israel in January. The case sets a precedent as the first at the ICJ relating to the siege on the Gaza Strip, where more than 25,100 people have been killed since October 7, nearly 10,000 of them children.